A blog post written by Mariana Pasturczak, a 2021-2023 Fellow
Throughout my undergraduate education, I had heard rumblings of a course that was eye-opening and engaging for those interested in public health. It was Dr. Remington’s population health class, PHS 370: Introduction to Public Health- Local to Global Perspectives. When my schedule finally permitted me to take this class in my last year (and last semester), I felt immediately at home. Dr. Remington was an engaging lecturer and brought in a slate of amazing guest lecturers and experts, and the discussion sessions were a space for me to think critically about public health and have conversations with my peers, unlike many of my other discussions where we just repeated lecture material. PHS 370 not only solidified my decision to pursue public health but made me want to stay involved in the course so I can be a part of engaging with the next generation of public health leaders.
This spring, leading a discussion in PHS 370 has been extremely fulfilling, especially after working from home and being isolated for the last couple of years. Having a space where I can meet with a small group of students and have honest, nuanced discussions about public health with people who care about it as much as I do is special. It has been so rewarding to see my students bond with each other and build a space where they trust each other and can share their honest perspectives in class. This environment has helped lead to difficult conversations among the students, and they truly listen and respond to each other, as opposed to just raising their hand and saying their piece. We still have a few weeks left in the semester and I know that with this group of students, the last few weeks are going to fly by. One of my goals for the Fellowship is to improve my oral communication skills, and this has been a lower pressure way for me to work on this. Leading this discussion has forced me to stop trying to plan every minute of our time and learn to come up with questions on the spot in response to what students are saying, and answer questions that may come my way. My students were patient with me as I worked to set a flow for our class in the first couple of weeks. As the semester progresses, I feel myself coming in more confident each week, and my oral communication skills improving.
This semester has come with its own unique challenges as well. During winter break, there was a lot of uncertainty around whether or not students will be returning to campus, and what that would look like. Once we knew we would be conducting discussions in person, there were a lot of nerves about being in the classroom with the Omicron surge still occurring, but we all upgraded our masks and began meeting in person. After spring break, the campus mask mandate expired, and we were faced with individual decisions on whether or not to continue masking. I had to make sure that the classroom remained a safe space and students felt comfortable coming to class, with or without a mask. Throughout the semester, it has been impossible to avoid the topic of COVID-19, and I have had to learn to balance my opinions with objective information, especially when students ask specific questions or my thoughts on events occurring. I have also had to become sensitive about letting the students discuss the pandemic, as we all have experienced a collective trauma and we are all in our own place when it comes to healing. Because my students have built a space where we trust each other, they have opened up and shared extremely personal stories and, in those moments, I remind them that they have to take care of themselves, even if that means taking a step away from class if the conversation becomes too difficult. I am so proud of my students, and I look forward to wrapping up the semester with this fabulous group of undergraduate students.